The document Thomas Jefferson wrote 235 years ago was great, and it's still great because it expresses a universal yearning for freedom and independence, and equal rights.

However, Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers wrote Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution for a very good reason, realizing that it would have to be amended, updated, and improved to meet modern needs and concerns.

The author of The 21st Century Declaration of Independence has run with that, and he suggests a way we can solve our problems.

His introduction and rationale for reformation begins as follows:

"We all know what’s great about America. But America has been put in grave jeopardy during the last 30 years because the U.S. Government has betrayed the intent of its Founding Fathers, especially regarding freedom from theocratic imposition of religion into government, and it has served the interests of the wealthiest few at the expense of the vast majority, the infrastructure, and the environment."

Have you noticed that the evil capitalists are moving operations overseas? Now they're smiting the Indian, Chinese and Southeast Asian populations with a pay check. I don't know what you think the founders had in mind. My history books say The Revolution was about being over taxed by a corrupt government. Remember "Taxation without representation"? How about that little soiree in Boston Harbor? The founders of the United States started a war so they could have control over their own destinies and so they could become wealthy. They did not do it to transfer their wealth from the British Crown a different tyrant. They are considered patriots. Those of us who want the same opportunity today are considered greedy and evil. I heard a great quote I'll share; "When was the last time you got a job from a poor person?"

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words!

Have you noticed that the evil capitalists are moving operations overseas? Now they're smiting the Indian, Chinese and Southeast Asian populations with a pay check. I don't know what you think the founders had in mind. My history books say The Revolution was about being over taxed by a corrupt government. Remember "Taxation without representation"? How about that little soiree in Boston Harbor? The founders of the United States started a war so they could have control over their own destinies and so they could become wealthy. They did not do it to transfer their wealth from the British Crown a different tyrant. They are considered patriots. Those of us who want the same opportunity today are considered greedy and evil. I heard a great quote I'll share; "When was the last time you got a job from a poor person?"

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

That comment reflects the neo-conservative, right-wing partisan political ideology that the Reaganites have been pushing for 30 years, and look where it's gotten us. It brought us the Bush Regime, and the obstructionist right-wing tactics that attempt to prevent progress and reform.

The fact is that we have been doomed to repeat history because the Reaganites ignored the lessons of history.

Reaganites ignored the fact that it was President Roosevelt's New deal that rescued America from economic crisis and the horrible consequences of Laizes Faire government which favored the wealthiest few.

Reaganites ignored that Roosevelt's New Deal established proper regulations and wage and price controls that created widespread prosperity and enabled the middle class to grow large and great.

Reaganites ignored the fact that it was President Roosevelt's New deal that rescued America from economic crisis and the horrible consequences of Laizes Faire government which favored the wealthiest few.

We don't ignore the New Deal. We simply dispute your assertion. Personally, I think it would be more apt to call it The Raw Deal.

Reaganites ignored that Roosevelt's New Deal established proper regulations and wage and price controls that created widespread prosperity and enabled the middle class to grow large and great.

We recognize the fact that governments are only good at two things. 1. Spending it's citizens' money frivolously and 2. Taking a perfectly good idea and FUBARing it. The prosperity of post war America happened in spite of, not because of, the New Deal.

The history liberals seem to forget is the FDR was the epitome of the privaleged class they swear exist only to exploit and oppress the masses. We didn't miss that irony either.

How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words!

We don't ignore the New Deal. We simply dispute your assertion. Personally, I think it would be more apt to call it The Raw Deal.

We recognize the fact that governments are only good at two things. 1. Spending it's citizens' money frivolously and 2. Taking a perfectly good idea and FUBARing it. The prosperity of post war America happened in spite of, not because of, the New Deal.

The history liberals seem to forget is the FDR was the epitome of the privaleged class they swear exist only to exploit and oppress the masses. We didn't miss that irony either.

Given the horrible impact and the utter failure of Reaganism, we should now realize that Reagan simply lied when in 1980 while he was running for president, he quipped: "Wage and price controls have failed since the time of Diocletian. I ought to know. I'm the only one here old enough to remember that."

Naturally, that got a laugh, as his script writer knew it would, and it was, admittedly, disarmingly clever. And, it proved to be a winning strategy because the wealthy who owned banks and corporations loved it. They hated the the regulations, safegaurds and wage and price controls President Roosevelt had put in place to save the country.

However, Reagan's statement was was not true. It was deliberately designed to mislead and create the illusion that it is wrong to control prices and incomes, and that government should not put any limits or constraints upon businesses.

Reagan’s statement was blatantly misleading, and false. He and other Neo-Conservative Republicans obviously thought they were right, and they were probably well-meaning, but they were actually wrong.

The fact is that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had instituted remarkably successful wage and price controls. Roosevelt implemented an economic plan which was part of a greater, comprehensive plan. It was efficiently and effectively organized and regulated, and it improved the military, agricultural, manufacturing, industrial and civilian conservation capacity of America. And, it enabled Americans to win World War II in less than four years from the day America entered the war.

In fact, Roosevelt’s legacy not only produced great prosperity for a large and great middle class by implementing proper wage and price controls and fair and proper regulations and policies to protect the public from the forces of greed and self-interest. Roosevelt’s New Deal also provided a safety net for the elderly and disadvantaged, with Social Security and Medicare. (And, by the way, if you read the 21st Century Declaration of Independence, you will see that it recommends that the safety net should be available only to those who actually need it, because those with very high incomes now take enormous amounts out of the Social Security fund, even though they certainly don’t need it and can well afford to live in luxury without it).

Roosevelt’s great legacy is proven, because the American middle class became large and great because of Roosevelt’s New Deal. However, Ronald Reagan’s political agenda and legacy as a governor and a president was in opposition to and detrimental to all that.

Most Americans are not aware of the impact of Reagan’s favoritism of the wealthy few, and they are not aware of his betrayal of the people while seeming to be their hero because he said: "God bless you, and God bless America" at the end of every speech.

The thing is, Reagan actually convinced himself that he served God and Country. He believed it because he was supported by evangelical leaders like Billy Graham, who led Reagan to believe that "Judgment Day" was coming, as did other evangelical leaders like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and other right-wing partisan political ideologues who led the Christian Right. (And in that sense, Reagan was rather like George W. Bush would be from 2000 to 2008.)

Reaganism and Reaganomics was sold as "Christian" because the Christian Right pushed the "gospel" of prosperity which claims that their wealth is a reward from God. And, as a "religious" political doctrine, it was and is, of course, very convenient and very politically expedient for those who are wealthy. And it was a political strategy that worked beyond their wildest dreams. They’ve gotten incredibly rich during the last 30 years.

The truth, however, as Jesus said, is that the rich have about as much chance of getting into heaven as a camel has to fit through the eye of a needle.

"Roosevelt’s New Deal also provided a safety net for the elderly and disadvantaged, with Social Security and Medicare"

Two gross inaccuracies in one short sentence there. First, SS was *not* intended when initiated for 'the elderly': it was specifically set up to support widows and to keep women OUT of the workplace during the Depression. Later on it grew to be a safety net for the elderly - but the life expectancy was only about 67 or 68 at that time. A far cry from today's 80+

The Social Security Act was enacted in 1935. It was designed to provided financial assistance to the elderly and the handicapped, to be paid for by employee and employer payroll contributions.

Medicare legislation was enacted in 1965 as amendments to the existing Social Security legislation. My point in the previous comment about it was to point out that the two are related to the same New Deal spirit of helping those who need help.

The point is that there are people in America who hate and are trying to destroy Roosevelt's New Deal programs. And Americans need to decide whether they are going to be swayed once again by the misleading and deceptive claims made by the forces of greed and self-interest who claim they want a "Religious Meritocracy," or whether they are going to start treating the elderly, the disabled, the disadvantaged and the least of our brethren as we would treat ourselves if we were them.

To me the truth is simple, and self-evident. But some people call the truth a lie.

I've never come across that phrase, 'religious meritocracy', before. Would you care to define it?

It seems rather an oxymoron to me. But then I'm one who wants religion kept far far away from government.

Thanks for the question.

When Thomas Jefferson was campaigning for president, he was up against Alexander Hamilton and the Hamiltonian Federalists.

The Hamiltonians represented right-wing monied interests, and they liked Hamilton because he said he wanted America to be a "Meritocracy," and claimed that would be the Christian thing to do.

The Hamiltonians were, therefore, supported by right-wing Christian clergy, as well as corporate interests, banks, etc.

Jefferson called the Hamiltonians "Royalists." He was critical of the power of banks, and he declared that those who used religion to gain political power betray not only the Constituion, but Jesus.

"The clergy, by getting themselves established by law and ingrafted into the machine of government, have been a very formidable engine against the civil and religious rights of man." – Thomas Jefferson

"They [the clergy] believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of god, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me." – Thomas Jefferson

"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a clergy-ridden people maintaining a free civil government." – Thomas Jefferson

Unfortunately, Jefferson's influence didn't last for long. In fact, his policies and doctrines of fairness started to be negated in 1823. And the the wealthy who claimed to be Christians had their way.

The history goes back and forth a bit, and for awhile there was some progressive reform, but in the 1920s the forces of greed and self-interest ruled and the consequence was economic collapse and the Great Depression.

Franklin D. Roosevelt then used the term "Economic Royalists" when criticizing the forces of greed and self-interest, which claimed to be Christian.

That is why the modern son of man exposes the forces of greed and self-interest for what they are -- hypocrites -- and he explains why they are wrong in insisting that America sould be a Reaganite "Religious Meritocracy."